1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the addition of an insert to an electrical connector to alter the characteristics of the circuits to which that connector is attached. More specifically, this invention relates to filtering inserts which can be used with electrical connectors to filter noise on the circuit. Even more specifically, this invention relates to the use of stamped and formed and molded components to fabricate the filtering inserts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One technique for filtering undesirable noise on a circuit or one or more individual lines is to install a capacitive element between that line or circuit and ground. One prior art approach to adding a filtering component is to incorporate that component into an electrical connector in the circuit. One approach to adding the filtering component to an electrical connector is to mount surface mount capacitors on printed circuit boards which are shaped to mount either between mating electrical connectors or to be mounted at the rear of one of the connector halves, often on a printed circuit board header connector. Examples of this approach are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,859 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,191. These prior art devices use standard surface mount capacitors soldered to traces on small printed circuit boards and add pin contact terminals to the printed circuit board to establish electric contact with the terminals of the connector to which filtering is to be added. These terminal contacts must however be added to the printed circuit board and care must be taken that there is not only a reliable contact to board interface, but also that this interface is not damaged during other processing steps or when the surface mount components are added.